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Stretching

Attitude

Science

Have you ever heard of muscle memory? Basically it's a phenomenon where someone who was once huge, but loses a lot of mass can gain it back again quickly. I have recently read that the reason this is, is because there is a sheath that is wrapped around the muscle fibers, bundeling them together. This sheath is actually quite tight, and can hinder the growth of the muscle fibers it houses.

Have you ever heard that getting a good pump in the gym is important? When your muscle is pumped, it is larger than it usually is, and stretches this sheath, which allows for growth later. So yes, the pump is very important. But we can do more to stretch this sheath, and allow our muscle to grow like never before! And I will outline how.

The Pump!

Here are some of my theories on how you can get the maximum pump in the gym:

Drink lots of water so you are fully hydrated. Take a water bottle with you to the gym, filled with water, or some kind of juice/sports drink that lets you replenish glycogen in your blood, and electrolytes important for all biological functions.
Try to work one muscle at a time in order to keep the maximum amount of blood in one muscle. Supersetting isn't bad either, cause it keeps the blood in the same area of the body, just don't do it too often as it can be very demanding and lead to burnout.
Give yourself adequate rest between sets so that you can put 100% effort into each set, and then put in 100% effort! Larger muscles/muscle groups require more rest time, for example squats may require up to 5 minutes of rest between sets, and biceps only 2-3 minutes.
Never stop exercising until you have achieved a good pump. You should leave the gym with your muscle feeling tight, and big!
Immediately after working out ( within 30 minutes ) consume a easily digestible food source like a shake, or even fruit juices. Best is a mix of carbs and protein. The carbs cause an insulin response that facilitates nutrient transport into the muscle cells, and also minimizes muscle catabolism that results after a strenuous workout. And the protein gives your body the building blocks to start repairing your muscle right away. The quick absorption of nutrients into the muscle will also give a 'pump' of sorts, and make it last a bit longer too.

It is also important to eat well and lots so that your muscles are packed to the limit with glycogen before you go into the gym, so it's probably a lot harder to get a good pump if you are dieting.

Stretching the muscle

Never stretch a cold muscle! Sit on the bike for 5 minutes or so to get the blood flowing, or do your stretching after working out. Stretching can also be broken up into two separate approaches. One where you stretch everything at once before or after a workout, or stretching your muscles as you workout with exercises such as the dumbell fly.

Stretching in itself

To get an effective stretch, we have to understand how the body responds to stretching. At first it doesn't like it. The body thinks: 'Oh no, there must be to much weight being put on this limb', ad to prevent tearing a ligament, the muscle that connects to these ligaments tenses trying to resist the stretch. To overcome this, I have heard of two options:

Stretch the muscle moderately for 20-30 seconds, at which point the natural defense mechanism gives out, and then hold a much greater stretch for an additional 15 seconds.
Contract the opposing muscle for 5 seconds, the immediately stretch the muscle hard. For example, if you want to stretch the triceps, flex your biceps for 5 seconds, then go into a hard stretch for your triceps.

Stretching while exercising

This approach requires that you do a few (2-3) medium sets of an exercise (ie benchpress) to warm up, then go into a heavy set of an exercise that really stretches out that muscle (ie fly's). Then after your set of fly's, grab on to something, or get your partner to help you stretch out that muscle to the max.

This type of stretching is quite extreme, and shouldn't be done too often. And if you do it right, you wouldn't want to! Give yourself at least 2, probably 3, maybe even 4 weeks off between this type of heavy stretching.

Stretching has no ends of benefits: helps increase muscle size as we have seen, reduces the risk of injury as you become more flexible, and helps reduce soreness after a hard workout. For me it has become natural to stretch out my muscle between sets, as it helps remove some lactic acid, and lets me push myself harder on the next set. This works well for me, cause I have a few minutes to kill anyhow, and I don't want to hang out in the gym another 15 minutes just for stretching!

Stretch Exercises

It's rather difficult to explain the various stretches for all the different muscles, so here are some links to pages which demonstrate various stretches:

Mayo Clinic

The Mayo health oasis has several diagrams and explanations for stretching all muscles

I hope this helps you as well! Let me know if you have anything you would like me to add here, or of any experiences you have had with stretching! Mail me at klaus.rubba@muscle101.com.

Last Modified:
February 10, 2000

Exercise is not without its risks and this or any other exercise program may result in injury. To reduce the risk of injury in your case, consult your doctor before beginning this exercise program. The advice presented is in no way intended as a substitute for medical counsulation. The developer of Muscle101.com disclaims any liability from and in connection with any information conveyed on this web page. As with any exercise program, if at any point during your workout you begin to feel faint, dizzy, or have physical discomfort, you should stop immediately and consult a physician.